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West Ham owner admits £45m playmaker could join La Liga giants

If West Ham superstar Dimitri Payet gets courted by the likes of Real Madrid or Barcelona this summer, West Ham’s ownership group will admittedly be hard-pressed to keep him with the club.

According to Sun Sport, West Ham co-owner David Gold said that the team would fight to retain Payet but admitted that the team might lose out to La Liga giants Real Madrid or Barcelona if they come eager to get him. Payet is rated at £45 million by Sun Sport.

“We’ll fight tooth and nail to make sure Dimitri pulls on a claret and blue shirt next season.

“We want to improve our squad and Dimitri is an integral part of what we’re trying to do. But we also must be realistic. If Barcelona or Real Madrid made a bid and he wanted to move there, it would be difficult to keep him.

“You can’t have a great player like Dimitri and expect no one to make a bid, especially with the performances he’s producing at the Euros…”

Gold added that West Ham is competing with the likes of Man United, Man City, Chelsea and Arsenal for the world’s top talents and hence was at a disadvantage in terms of resources to spend on player transfers.

“The old West Ham used to compete with teams like Burnley and West Brom for players, which gave us a better chance of signing our targets.

“Nowadays we are competing with Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United or Manchester City. For them, resources are virtually unlimited.

“But in the real world at West Ham, you’ve got two English owners who pay their taxes, without the resources of those other clubs.

“We’re not a club yet that can compete on that scale with them.

“But we’re no longer a selling club, we’re a spending club and investing in our future.”

West Ham acquired Payet from Marseille for £10.7 million last year, and he rewarded their investment with nine goals and 12 assists along with club records in points taken and goals scored en route to PFA Team of the Year honours.

He was chosen to represent France in Euro 2016 and has been a key player for them, scoring several goals in the group stage for the tournament hosts.